Depressed Youth Turning to SNS Instead of Psychiatry

Easier to Share Concerns Anonymously
"Sharing Stress and Receiving Comfort"
Side Effects of Sharing Non-Professional Therapies

Professor Kwak Geum-ju: "Healing and Counseling Effects Exist
But Excessive Dependence Can Be Risky"

A concern consultation post was uploaded in a KakaoTalk open chat room. Since the spread of COVID-19, the number of people in their 20s and 30s experiencing "corona blue," a depression caused by COVID-19, has been increasing. They use anonymous communities or social media to share their concerns and seek advice.

[Asia Economy Reporters Donghoon Jeong and Intern Reporter Daehyun Kim] #Yang Jihoon (26), a university student, shares insomnia treatments and sleep improvement methods in the private Facebook group 'People Who Can't Sleep.' This community, which has 170,000 members, discusses not only insomnia but also various topics such as family issues and career concerns. Yang said, "Because the members are people I have weak connections with, I can easily open up about my worries."

There has been a noticeable increase in young people sharing and seeking advice on worries such as COVID-19 blues (depression caused by the novel coronavirus), employment, and relationships through online spaces like social networking services (SNS). The advantage of sharing concerns in such online communities rather than professional counseling centers is clear. Without face-to-face contact, it is easier to open up, and anonymity is well guaranteed. Although the expertise may be lacking since solutions are sought among peers of similar age, there is a positive effect in that "simply sharing worries is itself a way to resolve them."

Office worker Lee Eunseong (30) also said he received much comfort by sharing work stress in an anonymous community for office workers. He said, "When I talk about conflicts I experienced at work, members leave encouraging comments like 'It's not your fault,'" adding, "The more anonymity is guaranteed in the community, the more comfortably I can post."

Posts uploaded to university communities. Sharing inaccurate information about drugs is cited as a side effect.

Of course, there are side effects to this kind of counseling method. One issue is reliance on non-professional advice about medications or treatments. On the mental health information board within the university student online community Everytime, posts sometimes appear such as "I switched from depression medication to bipolar medication and saw effects," or "I have severe glossophobia, so I was prescribed Inderal (a blood pressure medication) by an internal medicine doctor. I'll try it and report the effects." There are also posts providing information on the efficacy and purchasing methods of hypnotics like zolpidem, which is a psychotropic drug used for insomnia treatment.

Professor Kwak Geumju of the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University said, "Even if no solution is given, just having someone listen can have a kind of healing and counseling effect," but she emphasized, "However, excessive reliance on online communities is dangerous. If the depression exceeds a level that can be self-controlled, professional counseling must be sought."